The Alive Drive

I was just checking out my mate's Web site at http://www.newfoundfrequency.com. The site is currently on hold waitng to be relaunched in 2009. One thing that grabbed my interest was a URL in very small text on the animated gif on the homepage - thealivedrive.com. The site doesn't tell you much at all, something about a USB wristband. Sort of innovative, but been done before, then I wondered about the "alive" part of the name and thought wouldn't it be great if it was wireless enabled. A quick Google search later turned up this:

A few months a go, the now 68-year-old Ringo Starr made his new album available as a USB bracelet and now the 52-year-old Jimmy Barnes gets a slap on the wrist, he has also made his new Alive Drive available in the same format. The Alive Drive is a USB wristband that includes his latest album Out of the Blue and a bonus live album. It connects to exclusive Barnes content via the Internet and can be updated to alert fans to Barnes news and upcoming gigs. Over the next 12 months, extra Barnes tracks will be made available to owners of the Jimmy Barnes Alive Drive. No doubt about those codgers keeping up with new technology for their grandchildren. No mention if Jimmy's is available in colours as loud as his voice!

I put the really interesting bits in bold. This is an interesting concept. A personal storage device, no built in playback tech as far as I can tell, but a device that literally ties you to a particular artist. I'll be looking for more information on this and keeping an eye on its development.